02 November 2013

My Craft Room

Some of the things I was most excited about when I moved out of my parents' garage:

1. Dishwasher
2. Bathtub
3. Craft Room

Granted, this is a guest room/craft room, but really since we don't have guests over frequently it's primarily my craft room.

I wanted everything to be accessible, but still have a place. I'm not completely finished, but I have mostly gotten everything where I want it.

I figured taking pictures mid-project instead of cleaned up was fitting. I can make as much mess as I want!
Also the cat perched on the windowsill is pretty typical. It gets tons of daylight, too.

A little tour:

-For the desk, I chose the longest one I could find for maximum workspace. There's nothing more frustrating than having a project dangle off the side when you're trying to work with it. I chose Ikea Linnimon/Alex, with only one side of shelves for maximum maneuverability. Of course, hubby was super wonderful and built the whole thing for me, because I don't believe it would be stable if it were up to me. :o)

-For the same reason I chose this armless Office Max task chair. (It was on sale) Although, full disclosure, when I sit on it with no pants the mesh kinda hurts the backs of my legs. Hence the towel. I'll probably fashion some sort of cover one of these days.

-To solve the accessibility problem, and work vertically instead of using precious desk space, I opted for open cubby-type shelves. They only take up a small amount of desk space, and since they're positioned right over the drawers I don't even miss it. These Closet Maid organizers were found at Target on clearance for $10 each. Yeah, they're an ugly color, but they're really handy. I figured I'd change it, but it turns out the color doesn't really bother me.

Everything is placed in jars or containers so that I didn't have to dig around to find things. Everything is right where I need it, and I have space to spare. My sister has provided me with plenty of empty baby food jars, which happen to hold sequins perfectly.

And old jewelry box holds snaps and fasteners that would otherwise be lost in a drawer, and the same goes for the ice cream glass that holds the hot glue sticks. The glassware that I didn't already have was purchased at Goodwill for pennies.

- The drawers:
The top drawer holds thread and bobbins. These are craft organizers I found at either Hobby Lobby or Walmart. Come to think of it, I think I found these years ago in the Fishing/Tackle box area at Walmart.

The next drawer holds elastic, zippers, velcro, scissors, and other notions. The silverware organizer was from the dollar store and corrals these type of things nicely.

The next drawer contains ribbons. This drawer needs some work; they're currently semi-organized by color in ziplock baggies.

-Fabric is stored in such a genius way. I can't take credit for this idea. I found it on Pinterest.
It works fabulously. All of my fabric is neatly filed, and I can see at a glance what I've got instead of digging through piles. It also helps me keep it in check- I can't buy more until I use what I've got to make space for it.

-On top of the cubby holes are painting supplies in a hat box and ribbon-by-the-roll stacked on a tiered stand.

-A peek inside the hat box:

In the back corner of the room, I installed an ironing board holder. Chris thinks I should have installed it in the closet, but there's no room in there and I love how accessible it is.

Inside the closet, I used a shoe organizer to store larger pieces of fabric that won't fit into the filing system.Wrapping paper is stored on the shelf above it.

-The corner of the closet holds scrapbooking items, which I don't use often. I put one of those stick-up LED push lights because, well, it's the corner of the closet that doesn't get much light.

The rug was purchased from Garden Ridge for $40. I didn't want to spend a ton of money because I'm sure it will eventually get destroyed with craft-ness. There is a floor mat over it, to help the chair roll easily.